Identities and Buried Emotions
by c-dog
Summary: IYK... but which one! Kagome or Kikyou? Kagome comes to terms with her growing feelings for Inuyasha, but will he do the same? (Warning: FLUFF! no lemon though!)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One  
  
'What is wrong with him? Jeez he's so moody!' Kagome thought to herself. She sat on her bike slowly peddling, with Shippou looking up at her from the basket in front of the handlebars. 'He's such an asshole all the time!' "Kagome?" asked the kitsune, wondering what was bothering her. "Yes, Shippou?" She smiled down at him and seeing him made her eyes brighter. He could always warm her with his sweet nature. "What's wrong? You seem kind of mad., are you okay?" "It's... it's nothing. Forget about it." She grinned at him and he was instantly reassured, turning his attention to a butterfly floating past them. 'You wouldn't understand... Inuyasha is suck a jerk though!' Her dark mood was instantly back and she sighed under her breath. 'Whenever he opens up to me, he pushes me away again! What's he hiding from?'  
  
_______Flashback_______ "Kagome..." Inuyasha whispered, holding her close and smelling her hair. He always loved the way she smelled. He couldn't tell her that though... As he enveloped her in a heartfelt embrace, her heart skipped a beat. Her blood was pulsating through her veins at an amazing pace, and she could feel her face grow red. She had always dreamt of him holding her like this. Now that it was actually happening, she was at a loss for words. "Inuyasha... I..." she started, but was hushed by his finger lightly rubbing her cheek as he looked into her eyes. "Me too." He whispered, apparently able to read her mind. In fact, he couldn't, but he was so close to her that he could sense the way she felt. He could smell her emotions. She was excited and at peace at the same time. ______End Flashback______  
  
She vividly remembered that night, and she thought about it often. She had been amazed at how open he had been with her. He didn't push her away, didn't try to hide his emotions with anger. He was like a completely different person, and she was dazed and confused. "Come on, we have to make it to the next village before night." Inuyasha barked (no pun intended!). "You're so slow Kagome!" Miroku and Sango eyed each other nervously, while Shippou seemed oblivious to his surroundings, that is, until the bike he was on skidded to a stop. Shippou was thrown to the ground. He sat up, rubbing his head, and looked over to a very ferocious Kagome. "That's IT!" she fumed. "I am sick and tired of your SHIT! You've been an ass all week! What the HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" The others were stunned, particularly Inuyasha who slowly turned to look at the fiery miko. "Well maybe if you weren't so damn slow, we'd have a lot more jewel shards by now..." he stated. "Oh so I'm slow am I? Let's all point out my other flaws while we're at it, shall we? Let's see, I'm slow, weak, annoying, powerless, and, oh yeah, A USELESS WASTE OF TIME! Did I leave any out?! Well, Inuyasha?" she screamed. She hadn't been this mad in a long time, but it felt good to get all of it off her chest. She dropped her bike and ran off into the forest, choking to keep back her tears. 'I already feel like a weakling as it is, he doesn't have to rub it in all the time!'  
  
"Inuyasha you idiot! Why do you always have to treat her so badly? What has she ever done to you?! Go APOLOGIZE!" yelled Sango, who was beyond pissed. "Why should I? It's not my fault that she's so touchy!" he retaliated. WHACK Inuyasha was face first on the ground. Sango had hit him over the head with her boomerang. "GO, NOW!" she screamed. "Fine..." muttered Inuyasha, slowly picking himself up and following the path that Kagome had run to. "Come on." Sango said as she grabbed Miroku and Shippou, threw them onto Kirara's back, and jumped on her back as well. "I don't trust him to find her alone."  
  
As Kagome ran blindly through the woods, she paid no heed to the thorns and branches which seemed to reach out to scratch her. Her tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks, but she didn't care. Her mind was racing and her legs seemed to have a mind of their own as they carried her through forest, marsh, and meadow. She shut her eyes in frustration as she ran into a clearing until she ran into something. She fell backwards, grunting as she swiftly came to meet the ground. "OI! What do you think you're doing?!" bellowed a husky voice from above her. Frightened, she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at a demon before her. He was obviously a wolf youkai, and he looked at her, anger written all over his face. She looked down towards the ground, not caring if she seemed weak. She didn't know what was going to happen and when she came to the conclusion that she was going to be killed, began crying again. "Why did you... are you crying? What's wrong?" asked the surprisingly gentle wolf demon. He eyed the human suspiciously, and when he realized that she was showing true emotion, pitied her. "I...I..." she stuttered, scared out of her wits. 'Why isn't he trying to hurt me?' "Aren't you gonna... kill me?" He laughed. "Why would I do that? Sure you scared away the prey that I was hunting, but I can always catch more. I'm Kouga, and I'm the head of my wolf pack. What's your name?" Something about this girl sparked his interest, and it wasn't just her beauty. "I'm Kagome." she sniffled. "Well Kagome, you look pretty cut up. We should treat those wounds." She looked down at her body and realized that her arms and legs were covered in small cuts, which were bleeding freely. "Um... okay..." she said cautiously, still not completely trusting her new companion. He was a demon after all, and she had never met a caring demon before, let alone one who offered to treat her wounds. She slowly rose to her feet before her knees gave way. As she began to fall, Kouga caught her. "Careful." He whispered in her ear, which made her shiver. He picked her up bridal style and took off towards the scent of his pack.  
  
As Inuyasha ran through the woods, he reached a clearing. He could smell Kagome, yet she wasn't there. 'Why is her smell so strong here?' He looked around and in a matter of moments found the source. 'Blood... Kagome's blood...' he thought to himself. It wasn't much, but she must still be in pain. The others landed next to him. "Well what is it?" Sango asked fiercely. Inuyasha turned away from her and spoke, "Kagome's blood is on the ground here." He stated. "WHAT? IS SHE ALRIGHT?! WHERE IS SHE?" cried Sango, looking around for any piece of evidence that would inform her of Kagome's whereabouts. "This is ALL your fault!" "Now Sango, I'm sure Inuyasha didn't mean to drive Kagome off. It was an accident. I'm sure she's fine. There isn't much blood here." he gently reassured her. "Kag...Kagome..." Shippou whispered, still hugging Kirara. Inuyasha stuck his ears up, trying to catch a sound that would lead him to Kagome. He sniffed the air and walked around the clearing, until he caught a familiar lilac scent. "Kagome... I'm coming..." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
The sun sank slowly into the tree line. Birds grew quiet and the crickets began their nightly serenade. As he neared the cave containing the rest of his pack, Kouga slowed to a walk. He had run the entire way from the clearing while carrying Kagome, proving her theories about his strength. 'Gods he's fast! I wonder why... oh...' she thought as she looked down at his legs and noticed a jewel shard in each. "Ready to meet the pack?" he asked. "Yeah." she replied, though, she was noticeably nervous. He could feel her tense up almost every muscle in her body. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." he said, trying to calm her. He set her on her feet and took her arm in his, guiding her into the cave. "Kouga you're back! What took you so lo... oh, I see." smirked one of the lesser youkais. He eyed Kagome hungrily and licked his lips. A low growl escaped Kouga's lips. He sounded so fierce that the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Was he... protecting her? "Touch her and you die... all of you!" Kouga stated as he surveyed the mixed emotions on his pack's faces. Most of them looked down submissively or quickly turned away. "Come on, Kagome." Kouga whispered as he helped her walk into his den and set her down in a pile a straw, which was where he slept. "I can't begin to thank you enough, Kouga. I..." she started. "Don't give it a second thought. I'm just doing what anyone else would have." he finished, cutting her off. "I don't know of any other demon that would willingly help me, not even a half demon..." she said, muttering the last part to herself so that he couldn't hear. "By the way, what were you running from? Were you being chased?" he asked with a look of concern in his eyes. "I doubt it... I got in a fight with the people that I travel with... I was told that I was weak." she stated flatly. "I don't think you're weak." Kouga said. "I can tell you have a big soul and a great spirit. If those people couldn't see that then they're idiots." He left the den for a minute and returned with bandages and water. "Can I..." he asked, kneeling down next to her. "I think I can manage." She smiled up at him. He looked at her wounds and then his eyes came to rest on the rest of her body. "You wear strange clothing. Why is it... so short?" he muttered, blushing. She looked up at him, chuckling lightheartedly at his bashful question. "I'm not from around here. Where I come from, everyone wears this." she said. "Everyone?!" he asked, looking her over again. "Well, not the boys." she laughed. He grinned sheepishly and looked up into her eyes. "Could I have some privacy for a minute, Kouga? I have to... check for wounds elsewhere." she asked, blushing. "Of course." he answered, leaving the den. Kagome surveyed the damage and lifted up her shirt, not seeing any cuts or injuries on her stomach. "You can come back in now, Kouga." she said while lowering her shirt. He entered with a blanket. "I thought you might be cold, and I know you're exhausted." he said. "Thank you Kouga" she said, taking the blanket and smiling up at him. She lay down and closed her eyes, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Kouga sat outside the entrance of his den, intent on guarding his "guest".  
  
Inuyasha was worried. It was dark now and he had followed Kagome's scent to a series of caves. The others had hopped off of Kirara and were standing next to him, wondering what to do next. They're senses were nowhere near his so they had been following him blindly for hours. They trusted him, but were still doubting Kagome's safety. "Well? Where is she?" asked Sango, tearing through the silence between them. "She's in one of these caves, but... I smell... a wolf demon. Lots of them... She's with them!" he cried when he realized the danger that Kagome was in. "We have to hurry!" said Miroku as he took off for the caves. The rest followed swiftly but silently until they reached the main cave. Sango nodded to Inuyasha who took out his tetsaiga. "Let's go." he muttered.  
  
"NO! Go after the hanyou! Forget the kitsune!" Kagmome heard yelling and she slowly opened her eyes. It would have been pitch black if it weren't for the three lit torches illuminating Kouga's den. "Where's Kagome?! I know she's here! If you hurt her I'll KILL YOU!" she heard a familiar voice yell. "Inuyasha?" she mumbled. She rose to her feet and looked outside the den. Inuyasha was fighting Kouga and two other wolf youkai off, while Sango and Miroku held a few others. She could see that they were all tired and she had to stop them before someone got hurt. "STOP!" she screamed so loudly that all, humans, hanyous, and demons alike, turned to look at her. "Kagome!" Inuyasha and Kouga yelled at the same time. They each looked at the other and immediately started fighting again, Inuyasha brandishing tetsaiga and Kouga using his own claws. "STOP FIGHTING! BOTH OF YOU!" she yelled at the two. They stopped what they were doing, Inuyasha had Kouga in a headlock and Kouga was trying to bite Inuyasha's arm. Apparently Inuyasha had decided to fight without his sword. "Kagome are you alright?! You're hurt!" Inuyasha yelled, noticing her bandages. "What did they do to you?!" "They took care of me Inuyasha, now let Kouga go." He did as he was told, though not without growling at him, and turned to look back to Kagome. "Leave." Kouga growled to his pack, sending them into another tavern in the back of the main cave. Sango and Shippou ran up to Kagome, hugging her tightly and bombarding her with questions. "Oh Kagome, we were so worried about you! What happened? Why are you covered in bandages? Are you alright?!" "Yes. Yes I'm fine. Just a few cuts and scratches, but Kouga took care of me." She turned towards Kouga and flashed him a grateful smile. He grinned back and Inuyasha growled at him. "Come on Kagome, let's go back to the village. We need to get some sleep so we can look for shards tomorrow." Inuyasha said. He turned towards the mouth of the cave and started to leave. "Who are you to tell me what to do?! You're the reason I left in the first place!" Kagome yelled as she glared at him. "So you want to stay here with this mangy wolf?" he asked angrily. Kouga was about to jump towards him when... "At least Kouga doesn't think I'm weak. He hasn't made me cry yet either." Kouga stopped in his tracks. She was choosing him over that mutt hanyou? 'She loves me...' he thought to himself. 'I knew it.' A smirk began to form at the side of his mouth. The words stung Inuyasha as she spat them at him. 'She's choosing him over me? No... she can't be.' "When did I ever say that you are weak?" "Do you want it in order of when you've said it, or just the ones recently spoken?" she said sarcastically. "You can go ahead to the village if you want, but I'm staying here tonight. Is that alright Kouga?" He nodded to her and she turned on her heel, entering Kouga's den with Sango and Shippou following her. Inuyasha was stunned at what he had just heard. 'Why doesn't she care that I want her with me...?" 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
As Kagome slowly opened her eyes, she felt something warm draping across her waist. "Mmmm... Inuyasha..." she muttered, pulling herself closer. She slowly fluttered her eyes and immediately pulled away. It wasn't Inuyasha who had been holding her. "Kouga?" She looked down at him, wondering when he had entered the room that she had been sleeping in. She had fallen asleep alone so he must have come in when she was sleeping. "Ewwww... I barely know you!"  
  
As she left the den, she noticed that it was still night and walked outside of the cave. She definitely didn't want to go back to sleep, especially next to Kouga. What was he trying to pull? She had known him for a day! Sure, she was thankful for his help, but that didn't give him the right to sleep next to her. She walked along the mountainside, wrapping her arms around herself in a futile attempt to stay warm. It must've been in the mid fifties, and she was wearing a skirt. Looking up at a large boulder on her right, she saw a familiar red haori. "Inuyasha?" He grunted in response, turning his back to her. He wasn't in the best of moods. "Why are you out here? Aren't you cold?" she asked kindly. She felt like he was ignoring her, so she started to climb up to where he was sitting. Several minutes later, when she had reached him, she tapped him on the shoulder. "What do you want?" he snapped, making her turn away from him. He hadn't meant to hurt her, he was just venting his anger. "What's the matter with you? I'm only trying to talk to you, and you bite my head off!" she said. She hated when he was mad at her. It made her feel so cold and closed off from everything. "Why don't you go back to Kouga? He must be missing you." he spat. He hated coming in second, not that he liked her or anything. 'Why would you ever want that wimp to be the one to protect you?' "For your information, I left because of him." she replied. 'Why is he so mad? I didn't say anything to him to offend him... or did I?' He slowly turned to look at her. "Why? What did he do? He didn't try anything did he?!" he yelled. He couldn't stand the thought of anyone else touching her. 'Why am I so protective of her all of a sudden? It's not like we're mates...' He blushed slightly at the thought "He... he didn't do anything. I just don't feel comfortable around him." she lied. She avoided the subject of him sleeping by her because he knew that Inuyasha would rip him to shreds if he knew that he had tried anything. Inuyasha looked down and thought to himself, 'I don't get it. I don't see why I care so much... I don't like her... well not like that!' He assured himself that he was just protective of his shard detector so that he could complete the Shikon No Tama. He looked over at Kagome and noticed that she was shivering. "Cold?" he muttered. She nodded and he said, "Come here." She did as she was told and he removed his red haori and handed it to her. She put it on and hugged him, thanking him softly. She whispered her words into his ears, knowing it would tickle them. He grinned and pulled her into his chest, laying back and resting his chin on her head. 'Gods I love the way he smells. He smells just like those pine trees that he's always sitting in...' "Mmmmmm..." she moaned as she breathed in his musky scent. His heart stopped in his chest. 'Did she just... moan?!' His muscles tensed up around her. He tried to calm down, but couldn't. A quick whiff of her hair did the trick. He was in heaven. 'I'll never forget her scent, it's so pure and sweet. Nothing like Kikyo's...' He smiled and pulled her in closer as she fell asleep buried in his chest.  
  
"Kouga,  
Thank you for everything. We all appreciate it.  
Kagome" Kouga set the note down and slowly stretched. She had left this morning while he was sleeping. While reaching to touch his toes, he grinned and thought to himself, "Kagome... my woman. I will have you."   
  
They had been traveling all day and even Inuyasha was tired. Shippou had been whining all day that he was tired and hungry, Sango had been dragging her feet, Kagome was barely making it up the small hills that they came across on her bike, and Miroku hadn't tried anything all day. "Well the next village isn't for a mile or two, so we could keep going or stop now." Inuyasha said. He didn't need to tell them twice. Miroku was already starting a fire and the girls were off looking for a hot spring. After he had the fire started, Miroku looked at Inuyasha and grinned. "Wanna go see what the girls are doing?" Shippou would have protested, but he was already asleep by Kirara. "But they're in the... oh... alright." smirked Inuyasha. He wouldn't usually have done this sort of thing, he wasn't like the monk, but he was bored and thought it might be funny. 'You know you wanna see something!' a voice in his head said. 'Shut up! I do not!'  
  
The girls were sitting in a hot spring surrounded by trees, quietly talking. "Don't worry Sango, they'll be here." Kagome looked at her watch. "In 5... 4... 3... 2..." They heard a rustling in the bushes and hushed whispers. Sango and Kagome had been ready for this. Their bodies were fully submerged in the water and couldn't be seen clearly by the boys. "Hi guys. Wanna join us?" she asked calmly. The hanyou and perverted monk stood up out of the bushes, jaws dropped. "Wha... what?! You want us to join you?" Inuyasha suspected something, but Miroku was quick to do as he was told. He started towards the pool and when he came within a foot of it, a net that had been set on the ground snapped around him, throwing him into the air, where he was caught by a large tree branch, hanging in the net. "WHAT THE... GIRLS!" he yelled, obviously angry. "That's what you get perv!" yelled Kagome as she stepped out of the water to reveal that she was wearing a bathing suit. So was Sango. The girls dried off and put their towels around their waists, then began the trek back to camp. Inuyasha had been rolling on the ground clutching his sides and laughing until he had to force himself to stop, so he would be able to breathe. "We'll get him in the morning, right Sango?" asked Kagome, "If he's good." she replied, grinning. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
After a night of less than refreshing night's rest, Miroku was let out of the net. He wasn't mad, which made Kagome and Sango suspicious. 'I wonder if he's just trying to hide it... Who knows? Maybe he's just biding his time until he can get revenge... Oh gods I hope not! Who knows what that pervert is capable of?!' Kagome thought apprehensively. "Can we go now? We've already wasted so much time and there's a jewel shard that's rumored to be around here!" Inuyasha sighed impatiently. "Fine, Mr. One Track Mind..." Kagome said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. They walked on a small road that was bordered by a dark forest for miles without anyone breaking the silence that separated them. Inuyasha didn't mind the stillness of it all; He found it to be serene. He didn't tell anyone this, they might think that he liked when he wasn't fighting, making him seem weak. He loved fighting; The way it made him feel alive, the way it made him feel capable of anything, the way it reinforced his position as leader. He thought of his fellow travelers as a pack, and he would risk his life for all of them. 'Well, maybe not Shippou...' he thought with a smirk. Kagome was deep in thought at this point. 'YOU DO TOO!' 'I DO NOT!' 'YOU DO TOO!' 'DO NOT! DO NOT! DO NOT!' She had had this mental battle many times before. She knew deep down that she had feelings for Inuyasha, but she could never bring herself to admit it. She always assumed that since she was a human, there was no way in heaven or hell that he could ever return the feelings that she held. 'He thinks I'm weak... Oh gods I'll probably end up with Hojo... no... if it comes to that I'll take a cyanide pill!' she told herself sarcastically. She dreaded the day when it would come to that. She also dreaded another day... 'When the Shikon No Tama is complete, I'm screwed! I'll have to leave and Inuyahsa will use it to either revive Kikyou or become a full-blooded demon. Well, either way it's gonna suck a lot of ass for me...' Sango had been watching Kagome for the past 5 minutes, amused by the expressions flashing across her face. She swore that once she had even looked sick to her stomach... (When she was thinking of Hojo... haha) "Kagome, what are you thinking about?" she asked, chuckling to herself. Kagome was shaken from her pensive conversation with no one. "Wha... Oh it's nothing... I was just... it's nothing." She replied, trying not to sound like she was troubled. She looked at her feet, which were slowly but surely pushing the pedals of her bike. 'I wonder what Inuyasha's thinking about...' 'Gods I want ramen... It's been like 5 days since I've had any! I wonder if Kagome has any in that huge ass bag of hers...?' "Kagome do you-" Inuyasha started as he turned to look at her. "THERE YOU ARE!" Kouga yelled as he ran out of the forest, cutting off Inuyasha. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Inuyasha yelled. 'This guy just can't take a hint can he?' "I'm here to see Kagome. After all, I have decided that she is now MY woman." he said, staring at her, smiling. Kagome dropped her bike in astonishment. For a minute, everyone was speechless, especially Kagome. 'WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!' "Come on Kagome, let's go back to my den and I can fully mark you." He put his arm around her shoulders and tried to lead her back into the forest. She pulled away from him and stood back, still pondering what he had said. 'If mark means what I think it does...' She shuddered at the thought. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Inuyasha finally managed to spit out. "A little slow, dog breath? I said that she's coming with me, she is my woman, after all." he stated, as if it should've been obvious. "She's not your woman, wimpy wolf!" He had no idea why he cared so much. "You haven't marked her, so she isn't yours, dog turd! I've decided that she's my woman, and she'll become a part of my pack. Then we'll mark each other and have pups..." he said, looking at the clouds as if he was trying to picture his sick fantasy. Inuyasha, who was thoroughly pissed off by now, was about to attack Kouga when he was stopped abruptly. "EXCUSE ME?! MY GODS KOUGA, I JUST MET YOU! WHAT KIND OF GIRL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?!" Kagome exploded. 'What kind of sick bastard is he, anyways?' Kouga looked at her and smiled. He always loved a challenge. Her reaction only made him more certain that she was the girl for him. "I always liked my girls fiery..." he cooed, trying to pull her in by putting his arm around his waist. "DON'T TOUCH HER KOUGA! I'M GONNA BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" Inuyasha shouted, sending several birds nesting in nearby trees flying. 'Is he... jealous?! No... he probably just wants to keep looking for the shards...' Kagome thought cheerlessly. She looked up at the youkai and half-youkai to find that they were fighting, and not with words. Inuyasha had charged at Kouga when Kagome's thoughts were elsewhere. He had unsheathed the tetsusaiga, and it had changed forms. Kouga easily dodged Inuyasha's attack, but was caught off guard when Inuyasha jumped in front of him. He had dropped the tetsusaiga, and was much faster without it's weight to carry. Sango, Shippou, and Miroku just sighed as they watched the scene before them. "They're so immature!" Shippou pointed out. The others just silently nodded. "STOP IT!" Kagome finally yelled, bringing the boys to a halt. "I'M NOBODY'S PROPERTY! HONESTLY YOU TWO CAN BE SO CHILDISH!" Having put her two cents in, she stormed off into the forest, looking for some time to herself. The two just looked after her, eyes wide and jaws dropped. "Look what you did, wimpy wolf! You drove her off!" "It was obviously you who drove her away! She just wanted to get away to think of how she will be accepting my offer." Kouga said, smirking to himself. "I have to go, but tell Kagome that I'll be seeing her soon." And with that, he took off into the other end of the woods.  
  
Kagome sat down on the edge of a log that was lying next to a quiet pond. She heard someone coming up behind her and responded without looking to see who it was. "Kouga I really don't want to talk right now, so I suggest you leave." She didn't have time for his crap right now, she had enough on her mind. "It's me..." she heard a husky voice respond. "Oh, Inuyasha..." she said dully, never taking her eyes from the tranquil pond she was facing. "What's wrong?" he asked cautiously. He knew that she was upset, and he didn't want to make it worse. She finally opened up to him. "I'm just so sick of all the crap that I have to go through. It's no different here than it was in my time! Everything is decided for me! I hate it!" "What's decided for you? You don't have to go with that mangy wolf! Unless... you want to..." he muttered. She looked up to see that he had sat down next to her and was now staring at the other side of the pond. "What? You know that I would never go with Kouga." "You... you wouldn't?" "Of course not. It's pretty depressing that he's the only guy who likes me though. Well, who likes me more than a friend, you know what I mean?" He wanted to correct her. He wanted to hug her and tell her that she was more than liked. She was loved. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hold her so he could breathe in her lovely scent that drove him wild. But he couldn't tell her that. Not yet, anyways. There was an uncomfortable silence for about fifteen minutes, in which they both just took in their surroundings. A thought came to her that she had to bring across, though... "Inuyasha... what is being 'marked'?" He blushed slightly, but answered her question nonetheless. "Marking is what demons do to who they want their mate to be... It's a bite on the neck that instantly fades, and only other youkai can see, warning them to stay away. Messing with someone else's mate will get you killed." he stated quietly. "Kouga... but he said that... ewwwww..." she stuck out her tongue at the thought. He had wanted to mark her? She had just met him! Then she was bothered by a question. "Inuyasha... Did you ever... mark Kikyou?" He immediately turned to look at her, then quickly stood up. "Inu... Inuyasha I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked... Of course you did, you loved her..." she murmured. "No, I didn't mark her. She wanted to wait until I was human for us to be together." She immediately looked up at him and instantly felt the pain he was trying so desperately to hide. Before he knew what was happening, she had him in a tight embrace. "Oh Inuyahsa... How could anyone ever want you to be any different than you are right now? You're perfect the way you are..." she whispered into his shirt. Inuyasha felt the pain melt away and slowly put his arm around her shoulders, holding her softly. "You always know what to say Kagome..." 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
"Ahhh... I love taking baths. It's so relaxing." Kagome told no one as she sunk into the deeper water. This was the only time when she felt comfortable. While bathing she didn't have to worry about demons or Naraku or Kikyou. How she hated Kikyou. Her mother had always told her when she was growing up that she should never hate anyone, that it was too strong of a word. As she contemplated this she came to the conclusion that she truly despised, loathed, detested, abhorred, and hated Kikyou. She hated how she made her feel, how she had an invisible grasp on Inuyasha, and how she was her ancestor. Kagome got a look of pure disgust and contempt on her face as she thought of the dead miko. "I hate that stupid bitch!" she yelled without thinking. She looked around to see if anyone had heard her and assuring herself that no one had, lowered herself back into the water. After about ten more minutes of bathing, she got out and dried herself. After she was dressed, she turned to head back to the camp.  
  
"Hi guys." Kagome said as she walked up to the fire lit campsite. Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippou looked up at her and smiled. She noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Inuyasha?" "I dunno." Sango said evenly. "I think he went for a walk." "Oh. Anyways, I'm hungry. Who wants ramen?" She took the smiles that she received as 'I am's and reached for her bag to pull out the food. "Oh no! I left my bag at the springs!" she cried. "Be right back guys!" With that, she took off in the direction she had just come from.  
  
"Which way was it?" Kagome had been lost for about ten minutes. She stumbled awkwardly through the dark forest, tripping on roots every now and then. She started to worry, until she heard voices nearby. "Thank the Gods." she said wearily, starting towards the whispers. She looked out from behind a tree and saw something that made her heart drop. "I love you Kikyou." Inuyasha whispered as her hugged her tightly and swiftly pulled her into a kiss. When he finished he resumed hugging her and whispering to her delicately. Kikyou glanced over his shoulder at Kagome, who was standing with her mouth open and her jaw hanging in disbelief. Kikyou smiled at her mockingly and pulled Inuyasha in tighter. "Inu... Inuyasha... you can't..." Kagome sputtered. She felt as though she were being set on fire while being stabbed through the heart. He didn't look up to her; He didn't even notice her. He was preoccupied. Wanting to get away from all the pain and fear and frustration, Kagome ran. She ran from the only person she had ever truly loved. She ran from the only person she had ever truly hated. She ran blindly, not knowing or caring where she was going. The pain had started to reside and was now being replaced with an emotion that seemed ill fitting for her predominantly cheerful disposition, anger. 'I loved him! How could he?! I... I'm leaving forever! He can't expect to put me through hell and then have me just return to him! NO! I WON'T GO BACK! I HATE HIM!" she thought as tears silently poured down her flushed cheeks and she choked back sobs. She came upon a clearing and sat to rest. She put her arms around her knees and drew them closer to her body, trying to shut out the cold. She quietly lay down on the grass and tried to keep the tears back. 'I can't cry. I can't let him make me cry...' She thought as she slowly cried herself to sleep.  
  
Inuyasha walked back towards camp, deep in thought. 'Why do I act like that whenever I'm around Kikyou? I only love her when she is near. Then she leaves and I realize that I can't love her. That isn't Kikyou. That is just earth, clay, and bones. I don't love her. I'm already in love with someone else...' As he neared camp he heard Miroku and Sango talking. "Where do you think she could be?! She left nearly 3 hours ago! She should've returned by now. Maybe she got lost?!" Sango shouted at Miroku, looking for an answer. "Or maybe she went looking for Inuyasha..." he thought out loud. 'Kagome's gone?! Maybe she... did she see me with Kikyou?!' Inuyasha turned and ran into the woods, searching for the scent he had often dreamed of. He ran for what seemed like hours before coming upon a small clearing. He knew that she was here. Not only could he smell her, he could hear her deep breathing. He saw her and slowly walked towards her. She was asleep, hugging her legs. 'She must be cold.' he thought. He bent down to wake her and take her back to camp. He touched her arm lightly and she woke sharply. Without a word, she sat up and glared at him. 'Was she... crying?' Her cheeks were stained. "Come on Kagome, let's go back to camp." he said soothingly, yet she had not forgotten her anger that easily. "No." He turned to look at her slowly, half expecting her to be kidding, but the look on her face told him that she was morbidly serious. "What's wrong with you? Come on, let's go back to camp." He motioned for her to get on his back, but she turned away and crossed her arms. She didn't want him to see that she was fighting back tears. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm done." she said coldly, hoping that he would make it easy on her and just leave. He didn't. "But why-" he started before being cut off. "I SAW YOU INUYAHSA! I SAW YOU WITH KIKYOU! YOU JUST LOVE MAKING THIS EASY FOR ME DON'T YOU?! WELL I'VE HAD ENOUGH! I'M LEAVING AND YOU'RE NOT CHANGING MY MIND! FUCK YOU INUYASHA! I HATE YOU!" she yelled. As he stood there, trying to absorb what she had said, she ran off down a hill and into another clearing. 'She... hates me?! But... she can't hate me...' He needed to talk to her; He needed to comfort her. So, he ran after her. She knew that he was much faster than she was, but she ran nonetheless. She hoped that she could lose him in the forest, but deep down she knew that she had no chance. "Kagome wait! We need to talk!" he yelled. He ran as fast as he could, and he was almost up to her. "NO! GO TO KIKYOU! SHE'LL HELP YOU FIND THE SHARDS! YOU LOVE HER ANYWAYS! I'M SICK OF GETTING MY HEART BROKEN BY YOU INUYASHA!" she screamed. Tears were spilling onto her shirt, but she didn't care. She was in too much pain. She needed to get away from it all. Inuyasha caught up to her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a stop. She fought against him, kicking and thrashing, but it was no use. He was too strong. He pinned her to the ground and she looked up at him with malice filling her eyes. "Why do you hate me?" he asked calmly. "As if you don't know!" she spat at him. "Actually I don't, so if you would be as kind as to inform me, I think we can work it out." "I saw you kiss her and I heard you tell her that you loved her! If you didn't love me, you should have told me, and I would have left! Why did you have to toy with me?! What did I do to you?! I loved you and you put me through hell! Do you know the agony I went through when I saw you kiss her?!" She was sobbing now, and she knew that he was watching her. She felt his hand release her wrist and rub her cheek. She tried to pull away from him, but it was useless. He put her free arm under his leg and gently ran his hand across her face, trying to calm her. "You loved me? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "Well it's not like it would have done any good! You love Kikyou, not me! I'm just your damn shard detector! I mean nothing to you, and I never will!" "You don't know what you're saying... I love you... When I'm around her I just... it's like I'm under some spell. I don't know what I'm doing or saying. I don't love her. She's not Kikyou. Kikyou died." he stated reassuringly. He felt her go limp under him and she looked up at him blankly. "You... you're just saying that so I won't leave and you can keep looking for your precious jewel shards! Then you'll revive Kikyou and leave me!" "No I'm not, I love you Kagome. I want you to stay with me, to be with me forever. I want you to love me like I love you." he said while looking deeply into her eyes. "How do I know that I can trust you?" she asked meekly. She looked back into his gaze and realized that his eyes showed only sincerity and concern. "Because of this." He kissed her and her breath caught in her throat. She closed her eyes and savored the moment. She had always dreamt of kissing him, and it was even better than she imagined. She instantly melted into him and he released his grip on her arms. She put her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. Her lips parted and his tongue licked the entrance of her mouth before entering. Her tongue and his met, and she massaged his with hers. He rolled over and pulled her on top of him. They continued kissing as he ran his hands through her hair. She did the same to him and her hands found his ears. She rubbed them gently and she could feel him purring. She giggled as the purr rumbled through his chest, and into hers. She pulled away from him just enough to look into his eyes and smiled gently. "I believe you Inuyasha." 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Kagome slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep away from her eyes. 'Was it... Had it all been a dream?!' She cautiously opened one eye and realized that she was in the meadow from the previous night. She looked down and to her right was a lightly dozing hanyou. She felt her heart hover and her skin shiver. 'It was real! Oh gods, it was real! It wasn't a dream!' She stared at him, eyeing him with interest and longing. 'I can't believe it. I can't believe that he loves me!'  
  
In the days that followed, Kagome found that Inuyasha was considerably nicer to her and also more protective. They fought much less and he was always watching her out of the corner of his eyes, just to make sure that she was still safe from harm. She liked the extra attention and whenever she caught his eye, she shot him a satisfied smile. 'Wow, he's acting so differently. It's nice to be noticed. I think... I think I might be falling for him even more. Gods... he is so hot! I wonder what he looks like under that haori...' She quickly struck the thought from her mind, but not before blushing timidly. 'Gods... I could stare at her all day! Not that I haven't been... I wonder what she's thinking. Probably about that school thing.' He looked up at her and saw her blush as she stared at the drifting clouds. He smirked to himself. 'Maybe not...'  
  
As they all settled into their sleeping bags, two of the travelers were kept from sleep. Well actually, one was in a nearby tree. Kagome stared up at the stars above her, wide awake and bored as hell. 'Might as well try counting sheep. Nah, that never works.' She shifted uncomfortably and thought of how comfortable Inuyasha's arms and chest had been as opposed to the cold, hard ground that she was currently occupying. She thought about how while he held her, all her problems melted away and all that was left was the sound of his breathing, which perfectly matched hers. When she realized what she was thinking, she quickly sat up and shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thoughts that invaded her mind. 'I need to take a walk.' she thought to herself. She slowly crawled to her feet, stopped and looked through her yellow bag before grabbing her CD player and speakers, and took the closest trail that she could find into the forest. Little did she know that a certain someone with amber eyes decided to follow her.  
  
The meandering path she had chosen seemed to sway and twist as the earth willed, forcing her to amble along aimlessly, lost in her feelings caused by the boy she loved. 'Ugh! I need to get him off of my mind! A little music should help.' she thought while stopping in a field full of daisies and fireflies. She thought back to the last dance that she had attended at school, homecoming dance her freshman year. She had loved the way the music made her feel, as though she could dance forever and she didn't care who watched. She had danced with several boys that night, but spent most of her time in a circle of her close friends dancing provocatively. She would never dance that way in front of a boy, but she had been blocked from view by the girls who surrounded her. She placed the player on the ground with the speakers and put in her Ludacris CD. She didn't normally listen to that type of music, but there was one song that she couldn't resist. Of course, it had to be one of the dirtiest songs she knew. Normally she would have been morbidly embarrassed but she figured that no one would ever find out, so why not let loose just this once? She never told anyone, but sometimes it was hard to be so prim and proper all the time. 'Sometimes a girl just needs to let her hair down!'  
  
Inuyasha was standing in the trees just outside of the clearing that Kagome was in, wondering what she was doing. 'What's that thing she has?' he wondered. He figured that he might as well watch her, in case she needed protecting anytime soon.  
  
Kagome put the CD in and turned on her favorite song. She smiled at hearing the familiar words and turned up the volume. 'Yeah yeah yeah yeah Give it to me now, give it to me now...' She turned and glanced around, and after assuring herself that she was alone, began to dance. She rolled her stomach and swayed her arms. She hadn't danced in so long! 'I really missed this...' she thought to herself as her hips swayed smoothly to the beat. She pulled at the ponytail that held her hair and let her hair fall down and land around her shoulders, framing her face perfectly.  
  
'OH MY GODS' Inuyasha stood there gaping. He didn't know what she was doing, but he didn't want her to stop either. He wasn't able to control himself. He took a step out into the clearing, the pleasure evident on his face. He grinned like an idiot, but wasn't able to comprehend that. All he saw was her, dancing there, moving nimbly as if it came natural to her. He was in her trance, under the spell that she had no idea she was casting.  
  
Kagome quickened her pace as her favorite verse came on. She licked her lips and ran her fingers through her hair, moving like it was already determined that she wouldn't be able to stop until the song was over. 'Back seat windows up, that's the way you like to ...' She opened her eyes and quickly stopped. Her face turned a million shades of red as she realized who was staring at her with his jaw hanging open and his tongue hanging out. "I... Inuyasha?!" 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Inuyasha stood gaping with his jaw dropped for several seconds before he realized what he was doing and corrected himself. He still couldn't pry his eyes from the mortified miko standing in front of him.  
  
"Inuyasha... how long have you been there...?" she whispered while staring at the ground. 'OH MY GOD, THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING!' she screamed internally. 'Oh Kami, kill me now...'   
  
'If she knows that I saw her for very long she might not to that again! Better lie... Wait, do I even want to see her do that again?' he wondered, but it didn't take him long to come up with an answer. 'OF COURSE!'  
  
"Not very long, I just got here..." he said, hoping that she would buy it.  
  
Her sigh of relief told him that she did.  
  
"Come on, wench. Let's go back to camp." He said before turning towards their campgrounds and pausing to wait for her. She scurried about, grabbing her CD player and speakers before rushing to his side and slowing to a walk.  
  
The half demon's curiosity got the better of him as they sauntered towards their sleeping companions.  
  
"What were you doing, anyways?" Kagome only giggled nervously, blushed, and began power walking in a vain attempt to avoid the question.  
  
One week later, the group found themselves with high spirits, having just collected several jewel shards from a clan of rat demons. At least, most of the group was happy.  
  
"DISGUSTING!" screamed a disheveled girl from the future, who had bits of rodent intestine strewn about her clothing and hair. "EWWWWWW! GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF ME!"  
  
"Will you just shut up?" growled an irritated Inuyasha.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. You must want to bathe since you're covered in blood and guts. No, wait... THAT'S ME!" she spat, surprising the said hanyou with her short temper.  
  
"Wh... I mean... um... feh," he muttered quickly.   
  
"Come on, Sango. Let's go find a pond or something..." Kagome said to the startled demon exterminator as she grabbed her arm and stomped off into the woods.  
  
Miroku looked over at the recovering hanyou and chuckled. "What's the matter, Inuyasha? Little Kagome too much to handle?"  
  
He was rewarded with a feral growl for his comment. "Shut up, monk. At least Kagome doesn't back away from me like Sango does to you every time you try to get near her, not that I blame her."  
  
"Well it's not like you're exactly Prince Charming yourself! You can't even go twenty minutes without insulting Kagome, let alone be nice to her."  
  
"That sounds like a bet, houshi. Care to make this interesting?" Inuyasha smirked.  
  
"Fine. You have to go a week without being mean."  
  
"And you have to go a week without touching any girls. The loser has to set up camp and start the fires for a month."  
  
The two men shook hands and grinned at the other. Both were thinking the same thing.  
  
'This is going to be too easy.' 


	8. Chapter 8

AN: To all of those who complained about the 'coal/diamond' joke in the first chapter... TOUGH! Don't like it? Don't read it! Simple as that. Someone told me it was 'gross'... Well, there ya go. That's my sense of humor for ya. To all the others... ENJOY!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
"Ready to go, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked after washing the grime out of her hair. Every time that she and Kagome found their way to one hot spring or another, she found herself eternally grateful that Kagome let her use that 'sham-poo' stuff that made her hair much cleaner. 'If they have more things like that in the time that Kagome comes from, I don't think I would have a hard time adjusting to that...'  
  
Kagome finished scrubbing the dirt and youkai blood that was caked on her legs in time to look up at her smiling friend. "Sure, Sango-chan. Let's get dressed and we can head back."  
  
**  
  
"There you are ladies, we were wondering what was taking you so long. I was so worried, in fact, that I almost left to go look for you myself." Miroku said slyly as the group followed Inuyasha who seemed to know where he was going.  
  
Just before Sango slapped him for his little comment, Kagome grabbed her hand and stopped her. "Don't even bother, Sango. If he hasn't bothered to respect us enough to stop with his disgusting comments after all the times we've asked him to, then he isn't even worth it." The two girls turned to rest of the group and walked off, leaving the monk behind to glare at the hanyou who was smirking at him without the girls noticing.  
  
'Is that what they think? They think that I don't respect them? I thought that they knew that I was only kidding. I hope they'll forgive me... I'll wait until we make camp tonight to apologize. I should let them calm down first.' Miroku thought sadly. Had he known that his remarks and actions made them that angry and uncomfortable, he would have stopped. He may be a pervert, but Miroku still had a good heart.  
  
**  
  
Kagome sighed as she trudged along and looked up at the stars that had just come out above her. She was very tired; that last battle had taken a lot out of the young miko.  
  
"Inuyasha, can we make camp? Pleeaaassseee?" Kagome asked while making puppy eyes at the hanyou.  
  
'Oh god, not the puppy eyes! She knows that I can't resist those...' Inuyasha crossed his arms to show his feigned indifference and looked away to evade the 'all powerful pout of Kagome'. "Feh, if you weren't so-" A glance at a smiling monk reminded him of the bet and he made a quick recovery, "um... nice, I would say no, but you deserve a break." He said the latter part of the sentence quickly and jumped in a tree to escape the stares he was receiving.  
  
Kagome stood with her jaw dropped for several seconds. 'Did... did he just compliment me in front of everyone?!' Her shocked expression was quickly replaced with a cheerful one. 'He did! I heard it!' The air around the group seemed to lighten and they all smiled when they saw a grinning Kagome skipping around the meadow they were in and picking flowers to make a necklace for Shippou.  
  
'Is Kagome smiling like that because of what I said, or because she's getting a break?' Inuyasha wondered, but when he saw his favorite miko doing cartwheels while the others merely smiled at her cheerful disposition, he decided that it had to have been the fact that he had complimented her. 'Maybe I should do that more often. If I play my cards right (he had heard Kagome say that before but never understood it) this bet could benefit me in more ways than one. Besides, being nice isn't so hard'   
  
**  
  
"Inuyasha, the shard is in his tail!" Kagome screeched as the group fought off a lizard demon. It's green scales could be seen littered among the foliage and ground surrounding the battle field. Though it had put up a good fight, Kagome knew that it's time left on earth wouldn't last much longer. Not after what it had done...  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Kagome!" Sango yelled after the miko. Currently she was in the arms of a youkai that had caught them off guard. If it weren't for his being downwind, Inuyasha would have easily smelled him coming.  
  
Kicking and sputtering for breath, Kagome inwardly cursed the strong claws cutting off her air flow. 'Damn lizard demon! I can't breathe!'   
  
The demon grinned as he held her body closely to his and smelled her hair. "What a fine mate you'll make..." he grinned. Unfortunately for him, however, Inuyasha heard that little remark and attacked him from behind while he was distracted.  
  
'How dare he touch MY Kagome!'  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Kagome watched as Inuyasha ripped through the lizard with tetsusaiga and smirked at his fallen foe. Not long after, realization hit him and he dashed to Kagome's side. "Are you alright? What did that bastard do to you?! Well?"  
  
"Inuyasha, I'm fine. Really," she said clearly. She knew that she was lying as she slipped her hand to her neck to cover the wound there, and apparently, so did the aforementioned hanyou.  
  
"Don't lie to me! I can smell your blood," he barked as he lifted her hand from her neck, revealing three gashes from where the demon had gripped her. Inuyasha quickly sat and pulled her down next to him before beginning to thoroughly inspect the lesions marring her neck. Without a second thought as to what he was doing, he licked them tenderly, making sure to cover them with his saliva.  
  
Kagome had no idea what was going on when she felt something warm and wet on her neck, but for some strange unexplainable reason, it felt right to her so she didn't pull away. "W-what are you doing?" she asked timidly.  
  
When it finally registered in his brain as to what he had just done, Inuyasha blushed and pulled away. "It helps the cuts heal faster..." he said apprehensively, expecting a harsh reprimand for his actions.  
  
"Well, in that case, thank you Inuyasha." Kagome said cheerfully as she rose to her feet and went to get gauze from her backpack.  
  
Inuyasha gaped after her. 'Sh-she isn't mad?! I tried to do that with Kikyou once and she told me to get away from her... Kagome really is different." The half-demon thought to himself as he watched Kagome tend to Sango's small cut on her leg with Shippou and Kirara nearby. Looking around quickly, he noticed that someone was missing. A glance to his right alerted him of the presence of the lecherous monk who was currently giving him a knowing smile. 'Damn! The houshi saw!'  
  
"That was very... NICE of you Inuyasha," he smirked. He had chosen his words carefully, knowing it would annoy the hanyou that he had seen his little display of affection.  
  
Inuyasha answered with the only reply that he could come up with before jumping into a nearby tree.  
  
"Feh." 


End file.
